ten titles

Are you excited to start reading? Those of you who have already signed up for our Summer of Mystery Club will find your reading list (and schedule) on page 4 of your welcome pack. Those of you who have not yet signed up (but may be interested in doing so) might like to find out which ten books we will be reading.

So, what’s on the list?

1. Sweet Danger (1933)

Written towards the beginning of her career, this inventive title shows Allingham’s endless willingness to experiment with narrative style: there are some breathtaking visual sequences that are straight from early cinema, several entertaining set pieces, and a portrait of Essex village life that’s the complete opposite of gone to earth in its many strange surprises. Plus, an energetic teenage heroine who drives the plot (and the world) forward with her innovative water-powered electric contraptions? What’s not to like?

2. Death of a Ghost (1934)

From the famous Lafcadio blue, to vibrating auras of beautiful apple green, there’s a lot about colour in this novel, the first of Allingham’s many candid and witty explorations of the interpersonal tensions of unconventional extended households. Campion finds himself in the small world of London’s Little Venice, to unravel a deathly puzzle of posthumous reputation.

3. Flowers for the Judge (1936)

What could be more respectable than Barnabas & Co, London’s long-established firm of family publishers? But what’s that hidden in the basement? Behind the door? Or over that wall? Expect the unexpected.

4. Dancers in Mourning (1937)

“Play some of the old songs, Squire darling, play Third in a Crowd . . . “

Reliant on the creative energy of one man’s dancing feet, what happens when a desperate entourage of hangers-on turns toxic?

5. Traitor’s Purse (1941)

“Campion. It’s written in my suit.”

The ground beneath the reader’s feet is completely ripped away in this gripping wartime thriller, in which all that Albert Campion holds dear comes under threat.

6. Coroner’s Pidgin (1945)

While an exhausted Campion tries his level best to just get home, war-weary London finds itself caught between two “very different worlds”. A particularly fascinating exploration of class privilege and entitlement, to whose plot the always excellent Lugg is key.

7. More Work for the Undertaker (1948)

A vivid and affectionate “slice of London life as rich as a dark plum cake” (in the words of Elizabeth Bowen). Campion rejects a prominent diplomatic role for an extended stay in Renée Roper’s boarding house, where, in the company of a colourful cast of local characters, he investigates the perplexing Palinode case.

8. The Tiger in the Smoke (1952)

Probably the best known, (and best regarded) of Allingham’s novels, she riffs on British anxieties about post-war urban criminality in this truly spine-chilling exploration of good and evil.

9. The Beckoning Lady (1955)

We return to Pontisbright, where, one midsummer’s eve, we watch a conflict of creativity, capital and corruption play out, all accompanied by the unholy strains of the Glübalübalum.

10. Hide My Eyes (1958)

Discover the depths of human depravity and the height of disinterested love over 24 thrilling hours in 1950s London.

So that’s the Summer of Mystery reading list! In your Club Welcome Pack, you’ll find some further information about editions and formats, and here also are a few FAQ that you may have:

Do I have to read all these books as a club member?

Absolutely not! Read as many or as few of the titles that appeal to you; complete your reading privately, and / or feel free to share your thoughts in our readers lounge. How you take part in the Summer of Mystery book club is completely up to you!

Why didn’t you start at the beginning?

I know many of you like to read every novel in a series, in order of their release. I’m not one of those people, and have instead chosen the titles I like best and which, to me, feel most representative of Margery Allingham’s many different styles and the various stages of her literary career. In her very early novels, she is still finding her feet as an author, and some later titles you might find listed as “Campion” novels are not in fact by Allingham at all, but were written after her death by her husband, Pip Youngman Carter. Our club follows a selection of titles in chronological order, but you certainly aren’t compelled to read them that way. Equally, there’s nothing to stop you starting at the beginning of Allingham’s oeuvre, and reading right till the end, if that’s your bag.

And finally, a note on language

Allingham was writing in Britain between the 1920s and the 1960s and was very much an author of her time. In some of the books on our list, you may find occasional uses of language, instances of stereotyping, or attitudes expressed by narrators or characters which are unacceptable. We acknowledge the offence such language and / or attitudes may cause, which in no way reflects the inclusive and welcoming spirit we wish to extend to all at KDD. For a thoughtful and lucid discussion of how to approach such issues as a reader (or, indeed, an editor) of Golden Age Detective fiction, have a listen to this episode of the always brilliant Shedunnit podcast. And (hint hint) we’ll be hearing a wee bit more from Shedunnit’s host, Caroline Crampton, shortly!

Do pop back back here tomorrow, when I’ll be introducing our brilliant club contributors.

Sign up for the Summer of Mystery club here (signups close April 21st)